Forcing Shrubs Indoors

(see also Forcing Bulbs Indoors)

Related Articles Forcing Bulbs Indoors Forcing Blooms Inspiration Houseplant Helper Holiday Houseplant Care

Forced forsythia blossoms You can get an early breath of spring by forcing blooms indoors! Forsythia is a flowering shrub that is famous for being so easily forced into bloom indoors.  In the page background here, is forced flowering cherry.   If you don't have flowering trees or shrubs in your garden to cut boughs for forcing, don't despair! Along roadside ditches or along stream banks in areas near you that have "naturalized", you can usually find Pussy Willow or Witch Hazel for cutting. Most of the force-able bulbs take advance preparation, but January or February are not too late for paper whites, amaryllis and Iris reticulata. Depending on your zone, you can force shrub cuttings as early as January or as late as March.  Click the links below to go to the instructions.

Order Online bloomingbulb.com Breck's Bulbs DirectGardening.com Dutch Gardens Gardens Alive Gardener's Supply Gurney's Henry Field's LandscapeUSA.com Nature Hills Nursery, Inc. Pond Market Spring Hill Thompson & Morgan

How to Force Branches from Shrubs for Indoor Bloom

You can cut boughs from your spring-blooming shrubs and trees to bring them inside, and “force” them to open. The best time to do this is between February and April, depending on your zone, when the temperature begins to climb above freezing for a day or two. 

Procedure:

Select branches that have the most buds and make a clean cut flush against the trunk of the tree so that no stub is left. This procedure ensures quick healing. Then seal all the cuts on the shrub with a mixture of antiseptic mouthwash and latex paint. 

After gathering the branches,  crush or split the lower stems a few inches from the bottom to increase the area exposed to water for better absorption. Then place the branches in a bucket or large vase of room temperature water. Beautiful blooms will begin to appear within a few weeks. And, what a sight for sore, winter weary eyes! 

Here are the best shrubs and trees for forcing indoors for early spring bloom.  Cutting times are based on zone 6, and will vary - earlier for zone 7 and up, and later for zone 4-5.